Metering valve assembly for use with pressurized containers having an insoluble propellant



L. T. WARD April 27, 1965 METERING VALVE ASSEMBLY FOR USE WITH PRESSURIZCONTAINERS HAVING AN INSOLUBLE PROPELLANT Original Filed Sept. 27, 1961FIG. 2

II/IIIIIIIIIII llr/VIIIIIIII FIG. 1

INVENTOR Lawrence T. Word fllbuafl g M ATTORNEYS United States PatentOllice 3,180,535 METE G VALVE ASSEMBLY FOR USE WITH PRESSURIZED CONTRSHAVING AN IN- SULUBLE PROPELLANT Lawrence '1. Ward, Portland, Pa,assignor to Seary Limited, Zug, Switzerland Griginal application Sept.27, 1951, Ser. No. 141,077, new Patent No. 3,138,301, dated June 23,1964. Divided and this application Apr. 21, 1964, Ser. No. 361,358 1Claim. (Cl. 222335) This invention relates to a metering valve assemblyand more particularly to a metering valve assembly for use withpressurized containers having a gaseous propellant and having hollowstern depressible type discharge valves. This application is a divisionof my co-pending application Serial No. l4l,077, now Patent No.3,138,301 filed September 27, 1961 which, in turn, is acontinuationin-part of application Serial No. 115,776, now abandonedfiled by me on June 8, l96l.

Metering valve assemblies have heretofore been used with aerosol typecontainers wherein the propellant is soluble in the goods to bepropelled or ejected from the container. Containers filled with goods,such as deodorant, perfume, etc., have used Freon as a propellant orother derivatives of fluorine which are readily soluble in the goods tobe ejected and which are ejected along with the goods in order to aeratethem. Freon or other fluorine derivative propellants, however, are oftenunsuitable for use with many goods, such as food products, medicinalproducts, or in instances where fluorine may be toxic to the user.Another propellant used has been carbon dioxide which, while not toxic,often reacts with food products to vary their taste. It is desirable,there fore, that a relatively inert propellant be used which is nottoxic and which will not react with the goods to be ejected from thecontainer. Such an inert propellant, which is adaptable for use inpressurized containers is nitrogen where it will not react with theproduct to be propelled. This propellant is for the most part relativelyinsoluble in the goods to be ejected from the container and is usedessentially as a pressure source to push the goods from the container upthrough a siphon tube into a discharge valve.

It is often desirable that a predetermined amount of goods be ejectedfrom a pressurized container upon each application of the dischargevalve. This is particularly true wherein the goods are to be mixed witha liquid in order to make a flavored beverage of constant strength or,where medicinal products are used and uniform dosage is desired. It istherefore an object of this invention to provide for a metered valveassembly which may be used to accurately meter goods ejected from apressurized container having a relatively non-soluble gaseouspropellant.

In some applications it is desirable that the complete valve assembly bepositioned within the pressurized container utilizing a single integralvalve housing. It is, therefore, a further object of my invention toprovide for a valve construction which utilizes a single valve housingand which may be easily positioned within a pressurized container.

Broadly, a metering valve assembly constructed according to my inventioncomprises a valve housing adapted to be fitted into a pressurizedcontainer. A hollow depressible valve stem is positioned in the housingand has springs associated therewith for urging the stem outwardly ofthe housing. The housing has an inlet communicating with the interior ofthe container and a seal means sealingly surrounding the stem. The stemitself has an upper portion and a lower portion separated by a dividerto form an outlet passage and an inlet passage. A port in the side Wallof the upper portion of the stem is nor 3,180,535 Patented Apr. 27, 1965mally in communication with a metering chamber contained in the valvehousing and is adapted to be sealed by the seal means when the stem isdepressed by outside forces. A first port is included in the side wallof the stem in the lower portion and is normally closed by the seal. Asecond port also in the side wall of the lower portion is positionedabove the first port and is always opened to the metering chamber. Inaddition, the metering chamber contains a spring biased plunger whichforms a movable side wall of the chamber to force goods in the chamberto atmosphere out through the upper portion of the valve stem when theport in the upper portion is open to the chamber.

Referring to the drawings inwhich a preferred embodiment is shown,

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a valve assembly with the contentsof a container being ejected therethrough; and,

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 illustrating flow into the meteringchamber when the valve assembly is actuated.

Referring to FIG. 1 in greater detail, there is illustrated a meteringdischarge valve for use with an insoluble propellant wherein thecomplete valve assembly is contained within the pressurized container.The valve there illustrated comprises a valve housing having at thebottom thereof a siphon tube receiving section 121 through which asiphon tube 122 may extend. The top of the housing 120 has a shoulder123 which supports a seal 124 over which a portion 125 of the containeris turned to seal the housing with respect to the container. A hollowdepressible valve stem 126 extends through the valve housing and isbiased upwardly by means of a spring 127. An inner wall 128 of the valvestem separates the stem into a lower segment 129 and an upper segment136. A

seal 131 grips the side walls of the stem and separates the interior ofthe pressurized container from the interior of the valve housingcomprising the metering chamber 132. The stem 13% has two parts 133 and134 in the lower segment thereof so positioned that the bottom port 133is closed by the seal 131 when the stem is in its upper or normalposition. A third port 135 is contained in the stem above separatingwall 128 and is so positioned that when the stem is depressed, it willbe closed by seal 131. One side wall of the metering chamber 132comprises a movable piston 136 having O-ring seals 137 and 133 which isbiased downwardly by means of a spring 139. In addition, the housing 121has a vent 121 cut in the upper portion of the housing in order toprovide an air passage to the space behind piston 136.

The operation of the device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is as follows. As thevalve stem is depressed as shown in FIG. 2, the goods in the containerwill be forced up the siphon tube 122 into the portion of the housingcontaining spring 127. The goods will then flow through the port 133into the lower segment of the stem and out through the port 134 into themetering chamber where the piston 136 will be moved in an upwarddirection against the force of the spring 139. When the outside force isreleased as shown in FIG. 1, spring 127 will move the stem 13%) in anupward direction so closing port 133 while opening port 135. The spring13% will then force the goods in the metering chamber outwardly throughthe port 135 and so out the upper segment of the stem 139 out throughthe discharge nozzle I claim:

A metering valve assembly for use with a pressurized container having aninsoluble propellant, said assembly comprising; a housing, a hollowtubular depressible valve stem slidable in said housing, a wall elementin said stem separating said stem into upper and lower segments, a

. V 3 seal in said housing slidably engaging the sides of said stem anddividing said housing into a metering chamber section and a receivingsection, a first resilient means in said receiving section urging saidstem outwardly of said housing", a first port in said stem in said lowersegments normally covered by said seal and uncovered when said stem isdepressed to allow flow of goods into said lower segment from saidreceiving station, a second port in said lower segment'communicatingwith said metering cham- 'ber, a third port in upper segment sopositioned thatit is normally open to said metering chamber and iscovered by said seal when stem is depressed, and a movable side a wallin said metering chamber urged by second resilient means to decrease thesize of said chamber; goods flowing into said chamber through said firstand second ports when said stem is depressedunder pressure of aninsoluble propellant to increase the size of said chamber and goodsbeing forced out said chamber through said third port and siad uppersegment by said movable Wall under force of said second resilient meanswhen said stem moves outwardly of said housing under force of said firstresilient means.

No' references cited.

RAPHAEL M. LUPO, Primary Examiner.

